The Agriculture, Nutrition, Health, and the Environment in Africa conference

The Agriculture, Nutrition, Health, and the Environment in Africa conference is a collaboration between Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and Technology, Harvard University Center for African Studies, and Africa Academy for Public Health. It will be held in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts on Monday and Tuesday, November 6-7, 2017.

The conference aims to generate attention and awareness, create opportunities for novel collaborations, and identify a path forward toward solving complex health and development challenges. Understanding the intersections of agriculture, nutrition, and public health is particularly important in Africa, where populations are growing and urbanizing rapidly, and high rates of undernutrition and infectious diseases are exacerbated by an increasing burden of overweight/obesity and noncommunicable diseases. Agricultural production systems are under pressure to keep pace with population shifts and dietary transition. In addition to preventing illness and removing some burden from health systems, a holistic approach to malnutrition can also help foster healthy, sustainable environments, with exponential benefits for planetary health.

There is increasing global attention and commitment to bridging this gap. The recently adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals have highlighted the interconnectedness of food security, agriculture, environmental sustainability, and nutrition, and secured high-level commitments from around the globe. There is no doubt that this is an increasingly important issue that requires multisectoral and diverse perspectives.